What do you do for a living?

Oh absolutely - I didn’t really do anything with my art qualifications, but I’m still glad I did it though it’s taken me years to get to the point where I can paint for my own enjoyment, and not feel as though I need to earn my right to do something so frivolous as paint or draw. Or do anything just for my own enjoyment. SSIW is a great example of that - I enjoy it immensely but I sure as anything am not going to earn any money from it! That’s not the point of it - it’s for fun, to learn and grow, and to feel part of something bigger (even though I do think chip in on the forum too often).

Ps yes I love the lakes too, any mountains really are just beautiful!

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The best people do things regardless are they “qualified” formally for the job or not.

I work with the biggest media company in our country for 23 years now but we started as bunch of enthusiasts who rearly who had degree or even proper (formal) education in what they did. We began with classified ads and some commercials along with that and there were maybe 20 people invloved in the job. DTP, phone studio, typewriting jobs, prooving jobs (we prooved every suspicious classified ad personally by the phone) and all computering job, all done by that bunch enthusiasts of us working till early morning hours if neccessary. If you could type fast, if you were “computer geek”, if you knew DTP and had graphics skills you were on and no one asked you about the formal education. One of our programmers was carpenter by proffession, the other was forester, the third was musician and the fourth didn’t finish even primary school (as much as it’s to my knowledge) but they all were top notch team because they were computer/graphic geeks! They did this for love of the work and only after that they concernd about the money. The one who is carpenter by proffession and that one with no finished primary school even now work with us and in years they developed their knowledge and skills even more. That guy with not finished primary school is kind of indispensable partly because he’s very keen to work nights (he’d work every night if neccessary) and partly because he’s kind of a genious for computering. If no one wants to do the job, he’ll do it

So as much as I know all those computering/gadgets/coding geeks (my son is one of (future) them too), they do work the best when they feel the best and if the working surrounding of SSiW HQ is as friendly as this community (which I KNOW IT IS!) then it’s obvious, isn’t it. I feel atmosphere here at SSiW as it was in our company at the beginning - we were kind of great family all very commited to our jobs. So, I can perfectly understand “why Ifan would be insane enough to come and work with” you.

And this is not my story as I never did computering, it’s just reflection your statement, remembering how ti was working among all those geeky people which I had the honour to meet.

My story? It’s boring and dull, the least interesting of those I’ve read here, which I might tell it one day anyway, but not this time, not in this post …

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From my son’s reported experience it seems that many computer jobs are advertised through recruiting agencies who add their layer of complexity to the process.

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Well, your country and my country can’t be compared at all though. Even education system itself is (according to what I’ve read here) way different and what all these abbreviations you all have written through the thread I have no clue what they mean and which level they can be compared with.

In the unlikely event that you actually want to know, by all means PM me and I’ll get around to telling you when I’ve finished watching, I think it’s 4 rugby matches today!

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I haven’t read everybody’s threads (apologies pawb), however, I feel that the imagination you’ve demonstrated across the creation of SSiW and your background in teaching have you considered Play Therapy or an LSA in a local school for special needs? I work in a School near Cardiff called Ysgol Y Deri. The environment at schools like this are incredible. The kids are so so energising (can be energy sapping but in a positive way). Noah’s Ark Hospital also employ Play Therapists, I don’t know if Ysbyty Gwynedd do? It’s possible. Or soft play centres? The advantage would also be that you would be more in line with school run times.

It would require some sort of retraining but then I think everything is likely to.

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Thank you @henddraig but since our education systems are so different I believe I’d not understand a bit either even if explained. Or maybe the system is actually not so different but i don’t posess a knowledge about it since I never went to University at all.

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Most people in UK didn’t go to Uni - Tony Blair wanted 50% I don’t think he got them, Now. Stil most Brits alive haven’t been. Most do not need to go! I didn’t really expect you to want that list! Mainly it’s different names in Scotland, lately one difference in Wales, and changes over the years! My dad’s generation, in school, took something called Matriculation’! Nobody now knows what it involved!

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Catrin, you have done a lot in your life. SSIW is an enormous project, of course, and I think short stories for learners is a great idea - there could be levels to loosley follow the course levels. Not only that, but have you considered writing stories aimed at bilinguals? Stories for 8yo and up, where children have generally got to grips with reading, they are looking for something a bit more challenging, but are not ready for the length and concepts of full-blown novels.

I am a translator, or rather I should say I used to be! I worked as a translator for years until the economic crisis hit in Greece and I was made redundant. I freelanced and got by for a while by adding a bit of English language teaching and started writing. I have four children’s books (aimed at pre-teens - it’s an age group that parents still shop for!) and a book on English grammar out. I am currently writing another children’s book and one on etymology. I still take on the odd translation, but there has been little work there recently. I also love writing. I wish it paid me to do it full time.

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I think this suggestion above is brilliant!! Reading your post Catrin, it sounds like you are hugely talented and have loads to offer. It’s just going to be a matter of working out which skills to focus on and use for a job. Speaking as a Welsh learner and a parent, I would love to read simple books for learners and would love even more to find good Welsh books for my children. There seem to be few original and exciting Welsh books for younger children, Rala Rwdins is the best I have found, and my older son is reading translations of Horrid Henry, Dirty Bertie, Roald Dahl etc. It would be wonderful to have original Welsh stories and bilingual ones would be even better. I’m not sure how much money there would be in this though?
I also agree that play therapy or art therapy would snap up someone like you, especially in a Welsh speaking area like Gwynedd.
Good luck with whatever you decide to do next in the adventure that is life!

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Unfortunately, the Harry Potter type stories of writing success are few and far between. I have made a small amount on my book writing - a lot more on my grammar book, as it has a specific focus. Which is why I think stories for learners/ bilinguals could be the way to go for Catrin. It is a niche to fill. Think how many children go to Welsh-medium schools but have little original reading material to enjoy, and not only that, bilingual books could be written in such a way as to reflect the reality of these children’s lives. For example, a story of a child could be narrated in English while the child is at home, narrated in Welsh when friends get together, back to English for a family trip; Welsh again for grandma… You mustn’t think that it is confusing. I see my own children switching back and forth between languages from one sentence to the next with no trouble at all. My eldest son even has the first Harry Potter in both his languages and likes to read both at the same time, so that he can compare them (and complain about the translation. Yes, he’s at that age.)

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I’ve tried a few different approaches in thinking about this particular question, none of them perfect. This is one that I’ve heard recommended by a few people and which I’ve found helpful recently,

www.16personalities.com

It doesn’t tell you what’s right for you but, like all outsider perspectives, it’s a tool which aids reflection - or pointless mumbo-jumbo, depending on your mood :slight_smile:

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While this can be a useful tool, it is worth pointing out that it shouldn’t be taken too literally - the Myers Briggs personality test was debunked years ago.

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@CatrinLliarJones The idea put so clearly by Millie has other earning potential. On S4C a lot of programs are simply translations of English or American. I know they lack cash, but I’m sure any really good stories would be potential for series, childrens’ or part of Dal Ati for adult learners! You could end up with cash for TV rights!

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I have a couple of books that are written in such a mixed style (English/German) – the “hook” of the story is usually that a German child goes to England or an English child comes to Germany and while they are learning the other language, they’re not fluent yet and so they often speak their own language – so some conversations (or even conversation turns!) are in English and some are in German. The narration is also partly in one language, partly in another, depending on whose point of view is being presented, and the chapter subheadings alternate between the two languages.

While I haven’t counted, I read that the aim is to have about half of the book in each language, so that a German schoolchild learning English will “have read half a book in English” when they have finished it.

An interesting concept. Aimed at youth, maybe 11-14? Not sure – I haven’t read them for quite a while.

Even the titles are often bilingual, such as “It could be worse, oder?” or “I like you, und du?”. Written by an Irish lady who lives in Germany now, I believe.

So why not such a mixed story in Welsh/English?

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Once upon a time, we had some neighbours from Quebec. The children were younger than I was at the time and I was fascinated to hear them talking together in fluent French, which I was slowly learning in the 'good, old-fashioned, English Grammar School way, from books! They spoke perfectly good English, but not Yorkshire, with which I was able to help. Their books were in French and I much enjoyed reading them stories because the language was simple enough for me to understand. I have envied bilingual children ever since and wished I’d had contact with someone who spoke German after we left the POW camp!
p.s. Language teaching in England - in 1953, we were issued French books which were the same as one my Dad had used in school! I suppose they were superceded eventually, and the fact that we had them was due to shortages after the war, but it is hard for children to get a sensible impression from a book showing Frenchmen in spats with huge curling moustaches and mentioning Hendon Air Field as the departure point from London to Paris!
To @CatrinLliarJones Children value believability! At least I did! Science fiction is fine, as is fantasy, but the parameters have to be set clearly! When Harry Potter does magic, we know about it. He doesn’t suddenly float upwards with no explanation! And Heathrow is where we expect, if it’s ever mentioned!

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Yes to believability!

My eldest son got quite cross with a book that was supposed to be a science adventure, with children visiting planets and finding out about them. It was a nice idea, but when the heroes visited the sun he was disappointed. “It’s not scientific,” he complained. “They couldn’t visit the sun, they would just burn up.” He was happy with the visits to the other planets, as he could imagine a spaceship. But the sun was taking it too far. As you said - there need to be clear parameters.

However, as a bilingual child himself, he could and would totally relate to a story of a bilingual child. I have written a few short stories myself (unpublished, just for reading at home) featuring such characters to give my children something they can identify with. They loved it.

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Ooh, sorry to waylay the thread but could you possibly tell me exactly what those are please? They would be really useful for our bilingual (well ok trilingual with Welsh) family!

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Hi Catrin and All.
Many thanks for including in SSi and all of the work that you and all at SSi have put in to make it such a continuing success.

Catrin, for what it’s worth, my feeling from what you have shared is that are great at what you are already doing (family and work) and that your welcoming nature as well as your considerable work experiences will allow you to excel in your continuing venture, especially regarding the bootcamps. I expect that it will only be in the time between camps that you will be able to find time for your writing and crafts. As mentioned by others, you will find which of these activities can become profitable. I am sure that some of these will be. Something that has just come to mind is that in the future you might even be able to use your class room as a very occasional meeting place for SSIW-ers and friends, with minimal catering duties (say tea and snacks only). Perhaps you could also use this as a display outlet for your creative work. Some friends of ours who breed alpacas do a sort of parallel to this a few times a year, billed as open days, volunteer days, etc. Another friend runs “pop-up” vintage tea meetings and fayres and also supplies local visitor venues with home made delicacies.

You will be the best judge as to whether it would be practicable for you to support yourselves in the short term by perhaps seeking some interesting part time paid work. You will however, need to be careful not to take on too much. Again, perhaps only take on something that pays a realistic rate. I hope that helps without me being too bossy.

OK, now my introduction, folks:
I am not too adventurous, but am more of a throw-back plodder with “stickability”. I tend to apply this to my pastimes, which are outdoor car/cycle/motorcycle related and also my employment. I have had the same “job-type” and motorcycle since the 70s. Come to think of it, same jumper also. :slight_smile: .

Finally, here’s what I’ve done for a living -
I work full time partly from home, partly in my employer’s office/lab, but mostly on construction sites.
My first job for three years was in a medical lab (blood transfusion), with site visits to blood donor sessions. Since then I have been in construction materials testing; on construction materials, such as soils aggregates, concrete, tarmac etc. Although I have done this for decades, my employers have changed on a regular basis (comes with the work type) and I did run my own business doing the same thing for many years. Now I am happy being an employee again.

I attended state schools and colleges (part time) but didn’t go to university. However, I don’t recall having ever stopped studying on a part time basis, which is probably one of the reasons why I enjoy SSiw so much.

Fortunately, I’ve never been seriously ill, but true to form, have just battled through minor problems. I have a knack at delaying illness until holiday times.

Last one - work and family life: I work long hours and am often away from home, but I was fortunate to have a local job during the time when my daughter was growing up.

I’ll leave it there for now, hoping that this has been a not-too-boring summary of who I am.

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An idea I was wondering about for books was something educational that ties together the real world of pen-paper-crayons and stickers, with the ipad world. It is very hard to engage with a book on a computer or on a tablet and I think a combination of the two things would be interesting.

A real book, where half the pages are missing perhaps - a child can read something in the book, answer some questions - go to the web version and download things like pictures for colouring in that can be stuck into the books. This could be a good check for comprehension and understanding - you don’t get the rewards unless you make the effort to read the words and answer some questions or related puzzles. Maybe kids could write something and post in securely and safely on-line and get rewards like stickers or certificates that they can take into school etc?

Just some rambling ideas. The feedback I always get from parents is that the limitations of what books and literature are available for kids in welsh is very frustrating. Kids obviously go through phases and Rala Rwdins may be interesting for six months, but then will be detested - for girls Princesses may be brilliant for a year or so and then they get embarrassed about the whole thing and move on to something else. Trying to find a way to engage them in things as they move on is going to be tricky - the platform is going to be the key thing so that materials can be changed and modified easily.

If you get something flexible and adaptable and copyright it, then it could be rolled out in lots of different languages and the market will be much bigger.

Sorry for the ramble but just trying to throw a few acorns of ideas into the pot - kids love pictures and illustrations - they always love stickers and colouring things in and if you can get the themes and illustrations right the words will be read with interest. I don’t think that kids start reading books, simply becuase they like the words - that is something that happens as they get a bit older and more competent.

Also wondering if there was a way for kids to make their own books - a style of text, where they can fill in the gaps and decide what the characters are - is ffion a ceffyl. a tywysoges or a gwrach - they can get pictures from a picture library on-line. Can the kids make a video on a smartphone or a tablet and paste a QR code into their books that will open up the video on their ipads when they scan it and show themselves and their friends acting out the story???

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